Oriental Pork Pot-Stickers

Ingredients

Sauce:
½ - ¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 T sesame seed oil
1 T mashed or minced ginger
1 T minced garlic
¼ cup green onion, diced

Pot-Stickers:
4-6 lbs ground pork
1 large head nappa cabbage, chopped (the best ones are the heavy ones)
3-4 large carrots (or equivalent in baby carrots), diced (a food processor works well)
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup sesame seed oil
2 T ginger, minced or mashed (not powdered)
2 T garlic, minced
¾-1 cup green onion, diced
4-5 pkgs. Round wonton wrappers (check expiration date – should be fresh!)
2 T cornstarch
½ cup water
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients for sauce and set aside. (If you had to use regular soy sauce instead of low-sodium, it may be too salty. Add about 3 T water.)

2. Put pork, cabbage shreds, carrots, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, ginger, garlic, and green onion in a large bowl. Remove your rings and bracelets and get ready for some gritty work. Dig in with your hands and mix all ingredients very, very well. Wash your hands thoroughly.

3. Spread wax paper on your table. Mix together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Place about 1 teaspoon of pork mixture into the middle of a wonton wrapper. Wet edges with cornstarch mixture with your finger. Fold wonton in half, creating a crescent shape. Tack together at top and create one fold on either side near the top and seal. (Tip: Keep wontons from drying out by laying a damp paper towel over them both before and after they are filled.)

4. To freeze: Layer a cookie sheet with wax paper and lay wontons on it closely, but without letting them touch. Freeze. Once they are mostly frozen, you can place them in a smaller container in between layers of wax paper. This will keep them from sticking together.

5. To cook: Bring a half-full pot of water to a boil. Drop in wontons – don’t over-crowd pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add a cup of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil again. They should now be cooked through. Check the first one for doneness to be sure. Do the same for frozen wontons. (If they got stuck together while freezing, just put a chunk of them in together. They’ll free themselves in the hot water.) (Note: Wontons can also be fried in veggie oil after they’ve been boiled. It adds a different texture.) Serve with hot rice and with sauce spread over them.

This amount will be enough for about 4-5 meals for a family of 5.